Self-closing automobile gate



.lime 30, 1925; V J. s. MILLER SELF CLOSING AUTOMOBILE GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. '7, 1923 June 30, 1925. 1,544,022

.J. s. MILLER SELF CLOSING AUTOMOBILE GATE` Fi1ed-Feb. v, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 30, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES S. MILLER, F CLINTON, NEBRASKA.

SELF-CLOSING AUTOMOBILE GATE.

Application filed February 7, 1923. Serial No. 617,508.

To all. whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES, S. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Sheridan and State of Nebraska., have invented certain new and useful Improvements -in Self-Closing Automobile Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a self closing gate lo for use in fences where automobiles have to pass through.

The main object of the invention is to provide a gate. of kthis character, that may be opened by the front wheels of'an antoniobile, passing through the gate opening and without the driver having to dismount to open it. The gate is also self closing direct`- ly after the automobile` has passed through, so that it will not permit cattle to run out from the enclosure. i

Another object of the invention is to make the gate portable so that, in case cattle have to be driven through or wagon teams have to pass, the gate is lifted out of its bearings and placed along the fence while the gate opening is being used.

It is a well known fact that a considerable time is wasted for stopping and starting an automobile in order to pass through a clcsed fence, when the operator has to dismt uns to open the gate. This waste of time is avoided by the use of the present invention as the automobile does not need to stop, only slow down slightly when passing through, as the front wheels will engage with the gate and push it over, when the gate itself forms part of the runway and is immediately released by the rear wheels of the automobile directly after the latter has'passed through the gate opening.

In the accompanying drawings the invention has been illustrated in its preferred form and;

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a gate erected across the roadway in alinement with a fence;

Figure 2 is a transverse section of a gate along line 22 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a front elevation thereof with the foundation and-bottom part in section;

and

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a slightly modified form of gate.

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2

J5 and 3 of the drawings, reference numeral rights and the slats to make a firm connection. At each end of the gate other uprights 15 are provided similarly gripping the slats 10 between vthem and rigidly secured thereto by rivets or' bolts 16. These slats and uprights are preferably made of hard wood and for a fence of ordinary height the slats are preferably made of boards V8 inches thick, 4 .inches wide and 6 feet long, while the end upright are 7/8 inches thick, 4 inches' wide and 3 feet 2 inches long. Other dimensions and sizes may of course be used to suit conditions, and at times it might be preferable to place two 'boards side by side to increase the width of the end uprights.

Reference numeral 17 represents hinges which may also be made of wooden boards,

vbut are preferably manufactured of sheet metal and engage revolubly a hinge bar 18 which, as best seen in Figure 3, is provided with a bent down end 19 and carried in notches or grooves 2O provided in suitable foundations 21. At the lower end of the hinges 17 is rigidly secured a hollow cylinder 22, preferably made of galvanized iron or zinc, which is closed at both ends as at 23 and filled with sand or other suitable heavy material.

lVashers 39 are furnished on the hinge bar-*18 and placed between each end of the cylinder 22 and the inner sides of the foundations 21 to prevent the rubbing of the cylinder against the latter. In this manner the cylinder 22, when filled, constitutes a weight sufficient to keep the gate in upright position when hung on the hinge bar 18, as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The foundations 21 are preferably made of cement or concrete and positioned along the roadway so as to form al proper runway for the automobile wheels. For this reason the width of the foundations 21 is about eight inches or more and the side uprights 15 on the gate are placed in alinement with these runways, as best seen in Figures 1 and 3. The runways are placed sufficiently deep in the `ground to be rm enough to carry an automobile, and both ends are inclined upwards to the middle portion 24 of the runways so as to forni no obstruction for the wheels in passing.

As seen in Figure 2, the roadway may be slightly depressed vunder theV gate as at 25 J to permit the cylindrical weight 28 to swingV back' and forth during the operation of thev gate.

Then an automobile approaches to passl through the fence, as seen in Figure 2, the front wheels 26 run up the slope 27 formed on the nearest side of the runway 21 and when near the middle' portion 24; of the latter, the wheels will contact with the side uprights 15 on the gate, pushing the saine over, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. The gate will then be folded over away from the automobile until resting on the down slope 28 on the other side of the fence when the wheels will pass alongthe side uprightsl, which are then uppermost on the gate.l Directly the rear wheels of the automobile have passed the ends of the side uprights, the gate will again'- be able to swing` into upright position, as actuated by the cylindrical Vweight 22 at the bottom thereof.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings,a slightly modified form of the gate is indicated. Iii this case a -fra'ine 30 is formed preferably of iron bar or pipe with wiring 31 stretched between the short ends thereof and central uprights 32 provided asabove to secure around the top and vbottom sides of the fraine'() and other uprights 83 similarly secured, `onepair at each end of the gate, adapted to register with the runways 21 as before.' Hinges 34, similar tothe hinges 17 already described, carry the hinge bar 35 and the cylindrical body 36. y

It is evident that, as both sides" of the gate are similar, it is immaterial'which way the vehicle approaches, as it can operate the gate both from the inside and from the outside to tilt it` over and pass along the road. Then a buggy or wagon is to pass through the gateway, or a herd of cattle to be driven through the same, the gate maybe lifted off the runways and placed along the fence until the vehicle or cattle has passed' through. It is evident that no cattle can pass through the gate, when the latter is in position in the fence, and this gate is just as safe to keep the cattle in an enclosure as an ordinary swinging gate, which vhas to be hand operated.

In order to firmly secure the hinge bar-18 and prevent it from turning, I mayV provide staples 37 and 40 cast in the solid foundation 21, as best seen in Figures 1 andB.V

The staple 87 is placed horizontally, projecting with its eye portion beyond the Vside face of its foundation 21 in order to engage with the hooked end 19 of the hinge bar 18. The lower end of the hook 19 may be fur,-

nished with a small aperture for receiving a padlock 38. This will secure the gate in position and prevent its removal by unauthorized persons. The straight left end of the bar 18, as seen in Figure 1, engages in the upwardly extending staple l10.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

v 1. yA gate `mechanism comprising foundations arranged at the sides of a roadway in a gate openingy and having tlieirupper surfaces inclined downwardly from their centers to their ends whereby to constituterunways' forthe wheels of an automobile, a hinge-bar Vextending between saidfoundations and secured thereto at the centers thereof, a gate frame arranged above the foundations and having tracks upon its sides alined with the foundations, hinge members secured to said frame and depending therefrom between the foundations to `rotatably engageand extend beyond/the hinge bar, and a weight fixed to the lower ends of said hinge members' and normally holding the gate frameupright.

2. A gate mechanism comprising foundations arranged at the' sides of a roadway in a gate opening and having their upper surfaces inclined downwardly from their .centers to their ends whereby to constitute run- Vways for the Vwheels of an automobile, a

hinge bar extending Vbetween said foundations and secured thereto at` the centers vof said hinge members, and a filler of substantial weight in said cylinder.

v3. A gate mechanism comprising foundations arranged at Vthe sides of a roadway in a gate opening and having their upper surfaces inclined downwardly froin their centers to their, ends whereby to constitute runways for the wheels of an automobile, said foundations being provided with trans# verse grooves in their upper Surfaces at their centers, a hinge bar extending between said foundations and resting at its ends in the grooves therein, means for releasably locking the rod in said grooves, a gate frame arranged above the foundations and having tracks upon its sides alined with the foundations, a hinge meinbersecured to said frame and depending therefrom between the foundations to rotatably engage and extend beyond the hinge bar, and a weight fixed to the lower ends of said hinge members and normally holding the gate frame upright.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

JAMES S. MILLER. [ns] 

